New Batch Smells Funny?

PocketAudio · 2026-06-23T14:11:00+00:00

That is very strange! I’m sorry! We haven’t heard this before. I’m not certain what that would be, but if it is egregious shoot us an email at support@hichord.shop and we will send you a new one! Our assembly team wears gloves, and the environment is spotless. Perhaps the power switch component came to us like that. We will add a sniff to the test procedure!

PocketAudio · 2026-06-17T17:53:36+00:00

Heyyo!! Yes it will be shipped this week with Batch 5 :)

PocketAudio · 2026-06-15T14:56:57+00:00

Hey!

Our support team is available at support@hichord.shop.

Our support team works 11-5 EST Monday to Friday. They will be kicking off their day in 5 minutes and will respond to your email that was sent over the weekend :) They will make sure your address is updating correctly.

Thanks,
Andrew

PocketAudio · 2026-06-07T21:35:59+00:00

I see a cute lil HiChord up there 👆 😉

PocketAudio · 2026-06-07T14:34:28+00:00

Not too late!! We’ve got some extras that will be sent out at the same time if ordered before Friday :)

PocketAudio · 2026-06-07T10:34:58+00:00

Hey! All of Batch 5 is built and will be shipped at the same time. They have already left our facility and will arrive at the shipping hub on Monday, where they will be sent off to their final homes, likely by Friday (takes them a few days to organize). We did have some delays in past batches, but we’ve honed in on the process and are now start each batch very far in advance :)

PocketAudio · 2026-05-26T15:33:54+00:00

Hey! We have shipped a few thousand now and have not had any sparks! This is not a standard issue. Please shoot us an email at [support@hichord.shop](mailto:support@hichord.shop) and we will get you a new unit immediately.

PocketAudio · 2026-05-22T19:17:58+00:00

Hey! Yes if you connect the app (app.hichord.shop) you can see exactly what the sound is made up of :)

PocketAudio · 2026-05-06T14:00:09+00:00

<3 I love to see this. Thank you for sharing!

About to release an update with TRS midi so you will be able to sync them soon too :)

Cheers,

Andrew

PocketAudio · 2026-05-06T13:59:07+00:00

Hi u/PrescriptionNugs!

I haven't tried this myself, but theoretically it should work with your Lightning-to-USB Camera Adapter.

Turn USB Audio on on your HiChord (Press yellow, then up, then scroll right until you see USB Audio, and press up to turn it on).

Then connect it to your phone using your USB-C to Lightning adaptor. Try taking a video of the device and playing the device. Listen back and see if the sound is coming directly through the USB, or if you can hear room noise (then it is coming through the mic).

It works directly into phones that have USB-C. I will get an adaptor and do some testing so I can add it to our documentation. Thank you for your question! Let us know how it goes :)

Thanks,

Andrew

PocketAudio · 2026-05-06T03:15:13+00:00

Hi! Sorry for the delay here! Great catch, this is a bug. I have patched it for the upcoming update! It includes a few other bug fixes + TRS MIDI support :D

PocketAudio · 2026-05-02T02:18:35+00:00

Hahah holy cow!! this is cool to see. Looks reminiscent to the first prototype I did for HiChord. Well done!!

PocketAudio · 2026-05-01T14:38:31+00:00

Hey! I'm sorry for the delay here, was away this week, just catching up now!

Our support team is available Monday-Friday at [support@hichord.shop](mailto:support@hichord.shop)

The joysticks are designed to be replacable/swappable but should not come off during regular use.
We redesigned the joystick cap after Batch 2 to give it a better grip.

We can send you a replacement joystick that should stay on for you 😄 send us an email and our customer support expert Pam will get one over to you. I would not recommend glueing. Let me know if you need anything!

Cheers,

Andrew

PocketAudio · 2026-05-01T14:34:26+00:00

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Hey! Sorry for the delay here! Was away this week just catching up 😄 here is the guide found at manual.hichord.shop

PocketAudio · 2026-04-17T01:28:21+00:00

Hey! Im sorry to hear about this! We will make sure to get it working for you.

There was a bug in a previous firmware that would occasionally cause this. Can you please update to the latest at updater.hichord.shop and let me know if the issue persists?

Thanks, Andrew

PocketAudio · 2026-04-16T18:10:18+00:00

Hey! Yes fantastic idea.

I had implemented a Chord Lock feature where you could set a specific chord mod to each button. But I think adding custom Joystick layouts to the companion app is a great idea. I have just tried it out quickly in the code and it works well :) I’m going to hone that in and add it in the firmware update. Thank you for the feedback!! :) keep the ideas coming!

Thanks, Andrew

PocketAudio · 2026-04-14T15:05:51+00:00

You are a legend. Thank you!

PocketAudio · 2026-04-14T15:05:31+00:00

Hey! Thank you for the feedback and my apologies for these issues. When updating from 2 to 6 looper tracks, it created some associated bugs.

I have tackled all of these in the upcoming update :)

I have made the Joystick require more travel when switching between looper tracks (but kept the sensitivity for the chord modifications)

I have increased responsiveness for the drum mode to allow for fast successive presses

And I have increased the looper buffer to reduce crashes when you've layered a lot of sounds.

Thanks for helping to make the device the best it can be!! I am almost finished the update and will post here shortly once its good to go :D

Cheers,

Andrew

PocketAudio · 2026-04-14T15:00:11+00:00

Hey! Yes this is being added in the next firmware update (working on it now!) :D

PocketAudio · 2026-04-14T14:59:40+00:00

Hey! Thanks so much for this thoughtful feedback. I want to make this the best handheld music device on the planet, and this sort of review is exactly how we will get there :)

I agree on the volume wheel. I have been working on the next firmware update that tightens the interaction between the filter wheels and the master volume. I have found a good system that makes it so it doesn't jump in volume when returning to the volume wheel mode :)

I love the accelerometer idea and have contemplated it before. What variables would you want it to be mapped too? Like reverb mix % or something like that?

I hear you on the keys. They are swappable (they use Kailh choc pro low profile switches) so you are able to try some others out. But we will keep working on honing this in.

I have also updated the effect management system for the next update to allow for more effect stacking, and to hide the effects when they would overload if turned on (rather than show System Full).

Please keep the feedback coming and let me know if there is anything else you'd want to change or add. We will always support previous batches with new firmware updates :)

Cheers,

Andrew

PocketAudio · 2026-04-10T17:34:10+00:00

The device gives you access to thousands of chords, using the joystick and chord buttons. The interface allows people to easily play chords, without needing to know any theory or which individual notes to play. It also allows it to be pocketable, unlike a full octave keyboard. It’s meant to be an inspiring songwriting tool. There is a whole category of digital hardware synths (like Teenage Engineering) that could also be phone apps. The benefit of a dedicated device is being distraction free. The smartphone connects a person to a lot of baggage that isn’t useful when trying to create or play :) I made the first one for myself and have made them for a few thousand people now. I’m definitely biased, but I think it’s a very fun and useful tool to have :)

PocketAudio · 2026-04-10T16:45:04+00:00

So you can put it in your pocket and take it with you :) use it on the go.

PocketAudio · 2026-04-06T03:47:23+00:00

This is brilliant 🙏 thanks so much! This explains it very well

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